Rail Europe Launches 2008 Season

17th August 2012 | Patrick Thorne

"With global warming high on the news agenda, awareness of the impact of travel on the environment and the negative effects that air travel in particular can have on alpine regions and their snow levels, more and more skiers are looking for alternative modes of transport to get them to the Alps." Said a Rail Europe spokesperson.

Travelling by plane to the Alps emits 180g of CO2 per km per person. In contrast, travelling by train to the Alps emits only 5.7g of CO2 per km per person offering a far more sustainable way to travel, according to statistics produced by the Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Energie, Institut Francais de l'Environnement.

In a survey carried out by Rail Europe, 97% of the snow sports enthusiasts questioned said that they would consider taking the train to their skiing holiday if it would help to safeguard the future of ski resorts.

As well as offering a greener way to travel, the Snow Train has numerous other benefits. For the first time in 2008, passengers will travel from the new Eurostar terminals at St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, making the journey time to Paris 20 minutes faster.

Once in Paris, there is no need to change stations, just change platforms to board the overnight Snow Train. Accommodation is in flat bed couchettes, and for those who want to kick off their holiday with a party, there is the bar disco carriage for dancing throughout the night.

The Snow Train serves six stations in the French Alps, giving access to some 25 resorts, and with an early arrival on Saturday morning and departure late on the following Saturday afternoon, skiers travelling by Snow Train benefit from up to an additional two days on the slopes when most other holiday makers are making the long and arduous journeys from and back to the airport.